The Bulletin
CEO update
All the latest news and views from Richard Harrow Caterforce On 14th November I was invited to the bi-annual Caterforce conference held at Celtic Manor. I was really impressed with the whole day, but two points really stood out for me. Firstly, many of the members have really strong investment plans. Secondly, Caterforce members are keen to address the key issues of today. As an example, Lynas Foodservice in Northern Ireland has opened a plastics-free store. It was refreshing to see the independent sector so positive and active.
Welcome to Holly Jones
We are pleased to announce that Holly Jones has joined the BFFF as technical assistant working alongside Denise Rion, head of technical.
According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), China’s herd of pigs accounts for half of the world pig population. However, some 30% of the herd have been destroyed due to swine flu, which in some areas has meant a 70-80% drop in the herd.
Holly has a BSc (Hons) degree in Food and Consumer Studies as well as a National Diploma in Food Nutrition, Food Technology and Processing. She also brings with her a solid understanding of the food industry, having held technical positions at Bakkavor, Openfield Agriculture and Vittles Foods. We are therefore in no doubt she will be a valuable asset to both the team and the wider membership.
China is now importing pig meat from around the world, impacting the price of any product derived from pork. This is likely to be a long-term situation as it may take China anywhere between five and seven years to rebuild its pig herd.
Labour The ONS issued an update on net immigration to the year ending June 2019. We are now at the lowest number of EU workers coming to the UK for 16 years. This will inevitably put more pressure on an already tight labour market. The data shows the UK has seen fewer people arriving from the EU8 (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia) looking for work. The ONS commented: ‘’While there are still more EU citizens moving to the UK than leaving, EU net migration has fallen since 2016, driven by fewer EU arrivals for work. In contrast, non-EU net migration has gradually increased for the past six years, largely as more non-EU citizens came to study.”
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Cull of pigs in China due to swine flu impacts worldwide market
